Boiler-tube cleaner



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F. BOWERS BOILER TUBE CLEANER Filed Nov. 21. 1918 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Aug. I 7, 1928.

' WE S1 T275 i l in FRANK BOWERS, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, AssIenoa, BYaI EsNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0

DIAMOND rowan SPECIALTY conrona'rron, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A 00320- RATION OF MICHIGAN;

BOILER-TUBE CLEANER.

Application filed November 21, 1918. Serial No. 263,477.

This invention relates to boiler tube cleaners and it relates particularly to powerdriven boiler tube cleaners of the rotary steam jet type.

Because of its ready availability, steam is the. preferred medium for applying power to a boiler tube cleaner-and the most efficient device for employing the steam for this purpose is asmall turbine. "A diiiiculty arises, however, from the fact thata steamturbine operates most etiiciently at a very high rate of speed, whereas a steam jet boiler tube cleaner must turn quite slowly in order that the steam may have sufficient time to effect cleaning of the boiler tubes, which are successivelyencountered by the jets.

It is the object of the present invention, therefore, to provide a turbine drivenboiler tube cleaner havinga compact, simple and eiiicient reduction gearing between the turbine and the driven member.

A further object'is to provide a speed governing device for the turbine and toprovide a casing within which the turbine,- its governor and the reduction gearing will be housedin a unitary relation. 7 I

The invention is disclosed in a preferred form in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure l. is a view in side elevation of a tubular boiler cleaning unit, to which the herein described driving mechanism is applied, said unit being shown mounted in a boiler wall; I

Figure 2 is azsectional elevation of the driving mechanism, the section being taken on line 22 ofFigure 11;

Figure 3 is a cross section showing a planetary, reduction. gearing, the section being taken on line 3-'3 of Figure 2.

In these views the reference character 1 designates the masonry wall of a boiler, and 2 is a tubular steam blower providedatsuitably spaced intervals with jet nozzles 3.

Said blower is journaled in a bearing' t mounted in the wall 1 and projects beyond said bearing into a casing 5exter10rly secured to said wall. A pipe 6 communicates with said casing at the bottom thereof to' deliver steam thereto and thence to the blower member 2. A normally closed valve 7 is provided in the pipe 6, the stem of said valve projecting from the casing thereof,

as indicated at 7*. For opening the valve said stem is engaged by an arm 7 b of a bell crank pivoted upon the valve casing, the other arm 7 of saidbell crank being engaged by the lower extremity of a rod or cable8 havingitsupper end attached to a lever 8 pivoted upon the casing 5. lVithin said casing a worm wheel 9 is mounted fast upon the blower member 2 and is laterally provided with asegmental cam member 9 engageable with an extremity of the lever 8 extending-within the casing. When in the'rotation of the blower member and the worm wheel carried thereby the cam member 9? encounters the lever- 8, the latter is angularly shifted so as to exert an upward pull on the connection Sandthus rock the bell crank 7", 7 to unseat the valve 7. After the rotation of the parts 2 and 9 has re leased thelever 8 from the cam member 9,

the valve 7 will be free toagain assume its normally closed position. Thus when rotation'is imparted to the blower member for effecting cleaning of boiler tubes, the supply of steamto said member during the period of rotation is automatically controlled. The circumferential length of the cam segment 9 will be proportioned according to the angular distance through which the discharge ofsteamfrom the blower is required to act. 7

The worm wheel 9 is engaged by'a worm 9 Disposed within an upward extension 10 from thecasing 5, said worm is mounted upon a'shaft llgwhich is journaled at one end in the corresponding end wall of the extension 10,,while its other end is extended into a casing 12. Thecasing 12 is provided with aboss 13 which is screw-threaded into the casing 10 and provides. a bearing for the shaft 11. 'The orifice of the extension 10 engaged by the boss 13 is somewhat larger in diameter than the worm 9 so that the latter may be inserted or removed through said ed to be driven by a pinion 19 mounted fast upon a shaft 20 aligned with theshaft 11. Upon the shaft 20 is mounted: a turbine wheel 21 to which steam is delivered by a pipe 22 and from which steam is exhausted by a pipe 23. Upon the shaft 20 there is also mounted a centrifugal governor com prising a pair of pivotal arms 24; adapted to exert a frictional stress upon a hub 25 proportional to the speed of rotation Prefer-c ablya partition 26 is interposed between the reduction gearing and the turbine wheel 21, said partition being peripherally clamped between the portion of the casing receiving the reduction gearing and the cap portion 27' within which the turbine wheel is located. The portion of the casing receiving the speed governor is formed as a cap member 28 secured to the member 27.

It is evident that a very considerable reduction of speed will be effected by the stepdown gearing above described, the effect being that the turbine wheel may be driven at the high speed requisite for its eflicient operation, while the resulting rotation of the blower memberwill be quite gradual. By'

mounting the shafts 11 and 20 in alignment and employing the planetary gearing"co1n prised by the pinions 16 and annular gear 18, a very compact step-down transmission is secured. 1 i i The casing 12, since it houses theturbine, governor and reduction gearing in a unitary relation, permits all of said partsto be assembled complete in the factoryso that the installation may be effected in a minimum timei l i v What I claim as my invention, is: v

1; The combination with a' boiler tube cleaner, of a easing into which an extremity of said cleaner is extended, drive mechanism forthe cleanerwithinsaid casing, a housing'having screw-threaded engagement with said'casing, a pair of aligned shafts within saidnhousing, a turbine .upon one of said shafts,-a speed governor for the turbine upon the'same shaft, a planetary drive connection between said shaft and the aligned shaft, and a drive connection between the latter shaft and the mechanism in said casin 2. The combination with arotary iboiler' tube cleaner and a steam connectiontherefor, of a housing through which the steam connection is established, a worm andworm wheel within said housing for driving said cleaner, the housing having an opening through which the worm is inserted, and an encased unitary drive mechanism for the worm, the casing thereof having a projection insertable in said opening ofthe housing, closing said opening and rigidly mounting said casing upon-said housing, saiddrivemechanism including a shaft mounted in.

said projection and having driving engagement with the worm.

.3. In a boiler cleaner apparatus, the com 7 with the blower unit, a prime mover casing included in said head assembly and forming a unit therewith, a fluid-operated relatively high speed prime mover operable within said prime mover casing and reduction gearing carried by the head'assembly between the prime mover and said gear for rotating the blower unit at a relatively slow speed affording eflicient cleaning "ofthe saidboiler parts. i i 1 4. The combination with a boilertube cleaner, of a casing into which an extremity ofsaid cleaner is extended, drive mechanism for the cleaner w1th1n sa1dcas1ng,-a housing having engagement with said casing, a'

pair of shafts within said housing,-a turbine uponone of said shafts,;a driveconnection between said shafts, and a drive connection between the other of the shafts and the mechanism in said casing. i i

In testimony whereof "I aifix my signature.

FRANK BowEns. 

